Nice work.
Navy Times says the Gulfport Battalions (1, 7, and 133) are clearing 10 miles of road to Pass Christian so that relief can get there.
The CG appears to be doing a helluva lot right now along with local and state. NAS N'orleans appears to be underwater.The Navy and the rest of the US military are needed now from other places.
If I was CFCC I'd send every dam helo in the Southeast to the area. A CVN and SSN would be nice for power too. although several days away. They can get up the Mississippi... Forrestal did it in 89 for Mardi Gras.
I know if I can think of it someone already has and it's happening I'm sure.
Lex- re your
"Other nations will only make pro forma offers of assistance and really, who can blame them.."
Our buds the Germans (some of them) have chimed in early today blaming GW (who else of course?) and global warming:
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/
...,372179,00.html
(from Drudge)
Collectively, we're like 304 now. Take a deep breath, depend on others to help and follow the training...
can't run- can't hide.
B2
The Navy responds! Belay me last....
from drudge:
"NAVY SHIPS AND MARITIME RESCUE TEAMS SENT TO REGION
Tue Aug 30 2005 21:33:11 ET
The Pentagon late Tuesday ordered five Navy ships and eight maritime rescue teams to the Gulf Coast to bolster relief operations as worsening conditions overwhelmed the initial response.
The NEW YORK TIMES plans to report later tonight: One Navy amphibious assault ship, the Bataan, with six Sea Stallion and Sea Hawk helicopters that could be used for search and rescue missions.
The ships will carry food, fuel, medical and construction supplies, as well as hovercraft that can be used for evacuation and search-and-rescue missions.
The Navy was also considering sending the hospital ship Comfort.
Developing..."
Not sure anything has been requested. I'd happily see our lot send whatever's needed.
How High's the water Momma?
5 feet High and rising
Johnny Cash
Good update on what the services are doing over at Greyhawk's place. John of Arghhh! also has a link up for donations through the Red Cross, while Austin Bay recommends the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund which has a great track record dealing with emergencies like this, and getting donations to the neediest in a friction-free manner. The place where I'm working now is spinning up to answer CFFC requests for forces, so more military help is on the way as well.
Heya Sim, that's a very kind gesture, but I think we've asked as much of you folks as we have a right to in the last coupla. Still awaiting the shape and form of the "Chirac Plan," though.
But I'm keeping busy with other stuff, while I'm waiting. Just in case, you know... it takes a while.
"State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said earlier on Wednesday 10 to 12 foreign governments have offered general assistance to the United States to deal with the hurricane aftermath but no decision had been made about how these offers might be used."
Looks like your mob has decided to handle it yourself.
If I were the President of France I would make a very public show of offering to help and would have the Charles De Gaulle underway ASAP. As it crossed the Atlantic I would try to milk as much PR out of the offer to help the "over extended Americans".
Then again, maybe the French are not that clever. We should take the offers of help though. It will make it easier the next time we need someone overseas......
Americans will take care of their own, everytime, without the help of others. And if others offer, we shouldn't be so proud as to refuse. But we can't be so naive to think it will up our credibility with those nations who do help us. It won't, plain and simple. Sad but true.
Ah, it looks like between the local cops, state guardsmen, federal folks like FEMA and eventually NORTHCOM, we're already tripping all over ourselves. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
The gesture of support is appreciated, even if we aren't sounding very gracious just now. Still trying to get our noodles wrapped around the scale of this disaster.
That was more what I figured, you pretty much have an open invitation for our mob but you need to sort yourself out first. No matter how many people you have if you can't deploy them effectively they aren't worth much.
It's a real pity this didn't occur on the West Coast, perhaps then the experience from sending our fire fighters might have made things a bit easier.
Even so, the offer has been made and it will be a long term activity to clear debris etc. With any luck we'll be able to contribute.
I would ask that those reading try to temper their fellows that are only too willing to believe the worst of other countries. Even if you disagreed with some US policies that does not mean you enjoy the idea of an entire city in chaos.
That's a good point, Sim. Another result of the purely domestic political divide: many of us now tend to settle into two camps - on the one hand are those who still can't believe that France and Germany, not having the grace to stand aside, went so far as to stand against us and in favor of the tyrant in 2003. Many in that group (although few here, I suspect) have almost embraced a kind of unilateral/isolationist hybrid philosophy, one in which we say: Screw them for hating us, we don't need them anyway.
The other camp has asked itself, "why do they hate us?" and convinced themselves it's because of the current administration - this conveniently aligns with their own hatred for the administration, and in any case allows them to withdraw the world's concern from America until we prove that we're worthy of it again by electing someone more congenial to their own beliefs.
Both camps are wrong, of course.
Lex -
You actually hit an issue I'd love to address right on the head, perhaps if I had a blog I would have. I actually often wonder if it's not the result of a Republic vs. Parliamentary style of Government, either way my experience of living in and visiting the US is that the political discourse there is so polarised it's virtually impossible to have a logical discussion without someone screaming labels at you. One example would be someone that thinks the WMD reason for Iraq was weak but also thinks withdrawing from Iraq and ceding that entire nation to extremists would be an incredible mistake. Where is exactly would such a person place themself in the current political climate in the US?
The other way I've seen it has been in the almost eagerness to feel hard done by many Americans have shown in the wake of the current disaster. As someone that got involved in US forums and blogs while living and visiting the US I can tell you it's quite annoying to have people accuse other nations of hating the US, acting out of spite, jealousy and all the other crap I've read. To be honest it seems to me that polarisation in domestic politics is leaking into your view of the rest of the world and not only that but also leading many people to claim the worst of countries like the UK and Australia that have been nothing but friends to the US. As I said in my last comment even those that disagree with the US on some things would happily send help.
Anyway, I've ranted and I apologise, I just think that a civilised and logical discussion would benefit not only domestically but internationally, and without the claim people are withholding aid because of it.
Ugh, a few spelling/grammar mistakes in my last post, please excuse, I was typing quickly.
To be honest, your hypothetical position with respect to WMD would put you smack in the middle of the political spectrum - the vast great blob of the silent majority, if you will - surrouned on one side by neo-con dreamers and on the other by rabid blame-America-firsters.
For my own part, as I've argued before, the WMD agenda was neither a complete nor a sufficient argument. It was, as everyone who carefully watched the debate inside the government at the time realized, just one policy justification (among many - like WMD, none of them in themselves compelling) that every power node in Washington could get their arms around.
And while I have grudgingly forgiven the Brits for burning Washington back in 1812, I've never had anything but the greatest appreciation for the people of Oz, who've always been kind to us and some of whom still remember the US Navy standing between them and a different empire back in 1941. That service has long been returned with interest, but it's warming to know that some folks still remember it.
I think you're right that the poisoning of our domestic debate has begun to leech into our international relations, even with countries who have always been there for us, as we have been there for them. It's hard for it not to, as the anti's over here are using our "loss of prestige/influence" overseas as a bludgeon with which to punish the current administration - some perhaps out of genuine concern that we're burning more bridges than we're building, but others because they're mere political hacks and this is just another weapon they can fashion to their nefarious purposes. Witness the tomfoolery over "whose fault" Hurricane Katrina is. This last group would rather see America fail than Bush win, and it drives some of us in the other camp to regrettable rhetorical excesses in the name of countering their arguments.
What a mess.
OBTW, no spelling nazi's here - not in comments, at least 
Although I must admit that, while you can't hold peoples responsible for the thoughts of some of their people, the comments in this (otherwise sympathetic) post over at Harry's Place do leave me feeling a little glum:
Example: "Perhaps someone would explain why anyone would even consider donating to help the Katrina victims? They are 1/1000th of the numbers of Tsunami victims, and are vastly outnumbered by the starving and sick of Mali or the Sudan. Moreover, unlike the victims of those other disasters, they have the world's most powerful state in the world's richest country at their disposal. The US government and taxpayer can deal with this one, those of us with spare cash donate should send it somewhere else."
It does get worse.
I find the idea of 'blame' for a Hurricane rather stupid. That said anyone that stayed that had another option was pretty silly, the levee system was built to withstand a category 3, they were told it was a cotegory five coming...
A large part of the walls keeping the water back was earthern dams, anyone with any sort of construction/engineering background could have told you that as soon as they get breached or overfilled it's all over. Scouring.. been around since the first lot that built a dam. As a random historical fact it's also the reason one of the main targets of the 'Dambuster raid' was considered easier. One was concrete, one was earth. A small bearch in an earthern dam and it's all over, scouring will take care of the rest. That said, perhaps I'm preaching to the choir, strike pilot and all...
BTW - Lets not forget who first defeated the Japanese Army 
Lex -
To some degree I agree with the sentiment, many forums I browse have had people asking why (for instance) Sri Lanka isn't sending money. The simple fact is charity flows from the rich to the poor, whenever something happens to us 'terribly well off' western countries the aid mainly consists of manpower rather than cash, after all, we can fend for ourselves. To be honest I'm happy with that system, help us get it under control and we can deal with the result.
I'd actually love to see West Coast US fire fighters and our East Coast guys spend some time working out a formal agreement, if not at least figuring out communications etc. It would come in very handy the next time some of them end up overseas, given our seasons are opposite it might even allow for more regular help.
I'm all for that. Having invited the RAAF over to Fallon for some good old fashioned strike fighter fun a few years back, I can add to the pracical aspects of your recommendation the fact that the Aussies tend bring great beer with them! Hooray for VB!
1. Ask them to bring Draught next time (they'll know what I mean)
2. Ask your cousins (that is Marine Aviators) to watch where they drop things that go bang. Too many incidents isn't good for either country.
BTW - Aren't you a little old/senior for that kind of drunken fun
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